A roll-up grill is a small grilling device having a flexible grilling surface that can be rolled into a substantially cylindrical shape. In a rolled-up configuration, a roll-up grill is compact and lightweight and is therefore easily stored and transported. Portable roll-up grills are thus useful in connection with such outdoor activities as camping, hiking, picnics, tailgate parties, and the like. However, prior art roll-up grills are limited in utility as either being subject to instability or as having too many parts.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,961 describes a roll-up campfire cooking grill. The roll-up campfire cooking grill comprises a grill surface constructed from a plurality of bars, each having a straight, stiff, longitudinally extending, central rod spaced from and mutually parallel with respect to every other central rod. Each bar further includes two generally "J-shaped" hook portions, one at each end of the central rod. The bars are assembled together such that the J-shaped hooks of a leading bar extend under the central rod of the next adjacent trailing bar with both J-shaped hooks of that leading bar extending outwardly over and above the J-shaped hooks of the trailing bar. Accordingly, the roll-up campfire cooking grill may be rolled-up and stored in a cylindrical container or bag.
The roll-up campfire cooking grill may be supported by table legs that are pivotally mounted to the corners of the grill surface. The leg members are described as being similar in shape to aluminum tent pegs, implying that they may be driven into the ground to support the grill surface. Of course, driving the table legs into a hard ground may be difficult and/or practically impossible. Aside from the table legs, the roll-up grill does not otherwise include a support frame and is thus susceptible to instability. The weight of food items placed atop of the grill surface may cause the grill surface to bend downward toward the heat source. Dealing with an instable grill is particularly troublesome when the grill surface is hot.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,706 describes a roll-up barbecue apparatus having a grill surface comprising a series of longitudinally extending, laterally spaced grill rods connected by laterally extending, longitudinally spaced flexible cables. The rods and cables of the grill surface may thus be rolled into a bundle for storage and transport. The grill surface may be supported by a frame structure comprising certain lateral frame elements, longitudinal frame elements and four legs, all of which are fastened together by way of nuts or the like. The longitudinal frame elements remain loosely assembled to the cables of the grill surface, while the lateral frame elements and the four legs must be dissembled and detached prior to rolling-up the grill surface. The need to assemble and disassemble portions of the support frame is an inconvenience to the user. Also, detached frame elements are subject to being lost. If the elements of the frame structure are lost, the grilling surface becomes unstable.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a roll-up grill that provides a stable grilling surface supported by a support frame that does not require disassembly for storage and transport.